On Tuesday, coach Mike Pettine acknowledged to WKRK-FM that Gordon doesn't always hustle as much as he should in practice.

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"It is something we've talked about and from what I understand he's made some improvement, but it is a work in progress," Pettine said, per The Plain Dealer. "I'm a big believer in quality of reps versus quantity of reps. If I'm a player and I know that I'm going to be out there for 40 full-speed team snaps I may have a tendency to pace myself.

"There still needs to be improvement there but we're aware of it."

Gordon wouldn't be the first receiver in NFL history to curb his practice enthusiasm. In Nicholas Dawidoff's book "Collision Low Crossers" on the 2011 New York Jets -- where Pettine was the defensive coordinator -- receiver Santonio Holmes was chided by coaches for not going full-speed in practice.

While Gordon's practice habits are under his future control, the team continues to wait for the hammer to drop on a suspension.

"There's certainly a level of frustration because we've known the news for so long," Pettine told the radio station. "It's just a holding pattern and I understand that the league has a process that they have to go through and there's other things that they're dealing with and we respect that. But at the same time it is difficult because it really will affect our preparation for the season. ... We're prepared for all of the eventualities, but the waiting is difficult."

UPDATE: On Wednesday, Pettine said the talk of his Pro Bowl wide receiver's practice effort was "overblown."